Nairobi County Government has revealed it will be forced to make demolitions in some parts of the capital after flooding hit several parts of the city on Friday, November 29.
During a night tour of the capital to assess the damage caused by the floods, Nairobi Chief Officer of Environment Geoffrey Mosiria blamed poor construction of various buildings for the flooding in parts of the Parklands area.
Mosiria, who was touring the city at midnight, called for demolitions in the areas where people have built along river beds and those who have blocked drainages in Nairobi to solve the flooding problem.
While taking a tour of the Parklands area after the heavy downpour that saw major roads and estates in Nairobi flood, Mosiria faulted the floods on developers and not the county government.
The CEC was responding to the blame laid on the county for cases of flooding that rocked roads and houses, clarifying that the government is not to be blamed but the developers building houses in spaces against the law.
According to the CEC, developers are building on top of river banks, forcing the water to penetrate the roads due to pressure during the rains, causing flooding in the roads and houses.
To offer a solution to the challenge, Mosiria has called on Parkland residents to agree on demolitions so that they can open the river banks and allow proper flow of water.
"What we are experiencing in Parklands is not about the drainage system but about developers building on riparian land. This problem can only be solved if the people of Parklands come together and we agree to demolish buildings on riparian land," Mosiria noted.
Mosiria bashed Nairobi residents for blaming the county for the floods. Nairobians trooped to social media to share videos and news of the flooded areas.
"As county government, we must tell each other the truth. When you go to social media to post about the floods bashing the county, I will also come here and bring you facts, the government is working, but people are building on riparian land," Mosiria noted.
Pedestrians and motorists found it nearly impossible to navigate through Nairobi's central business district and its environs on Friday night as heavy rains caused severe flooding, turning major roads into rivers of dirty water.
Nairobians argue that the situation is worsened by the inadequate infrastructure, much of which was built during the colonial era to serve a much smaller population of less than 500,000 people.
However, over the years, the population in Nairobi has grown to nearly five million, but the drainage system has not been upgraded to match this rapid growth.
Nairobi Governor, Johnson Sakaja has acknowledged the city's ongoing flooding issues but pointed out the difficulty of addressing them.
The city was marred with floods after an advisory from Kenya Metrology on Friday, November 30.
